Safety and Efficacy of Deferasirox in the Management of Transfusion-Dependent Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Aplastic Anaemia: A Perspective Review.

Safety and efficacy of deferasirox in the management of transfusion-dependent patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and aplastic anaemia: a perspective review.

Ther Adv Hematol. 2013 Apr; 4(2): 93-102
Adams RL, Bird RJ

Deferasirox is an orally administered, once-daily iron chelator with a generally good safety and efficacy profile. Reported adverse events in the older myelodysplastic population are somewhat different to the more intensively investigated and younger thalassaemic population. Renal impairment is the most concerning adverse event, but this is reversible if identified and the drug is withdrawn early. Gastrointestinal effects, particularly diarrhoea, can be troublesome for older patients, but can be minimized with tailored therapy. Negative iron balance can be achieved in most patients with a median dose of 20 mg/kg/day, and doses up to 40 mg/kg are possible in patients with severe iron overload, who are at risk of cardiac decompensation. HubMed – drug

 

Comprehensive review of JAK inhibitors in myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Ther Adv Hematol. 2013 Feb; 4(1): 15-35
Sonbol MB, Firwana B, Zarzour A, Morad M, Rana V, Tiu RV

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are clonal hematopoietic stem-cell disorders, characterized phenotypically by the abnormal accumulation of mature-appearing myeloid cells. Polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, primary myelofibrosis (also known as ‘BCR-ABL1-negative’ MPNs), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are the primary types of MPNs. After the discovery of the BCR-ABL1 fusion protein in CML, several oncogenic tyrosine kinases have been identified in ‘BCR-ABL1-negative’ MPNs, most importantly, JAK2V617F mutation. The similarity in the clinical characteristics of the BCR-ABL1-negative MPN patients along with the prevalence of the Janus kinase mutation in this patient population provided a strong rationale for the development of a new class of pharmacologic inhibitors that target this pathway. The first of its class, ruxolitinib, has now been approved by the food and drug administration (FDA) for the management of patients with intermediate- to high-risk myelofibrosis. Ruxolitinib provides significant and sustained improvements in spleen related and constitutional symptoms secondary to the disease. Although noncurative, ruxolitinib represents a milestone in the treatment of myelofibrosis patients. Other types of JAK2 inhibitors are being tested in various clinical trials at this point and may provide better efficacy data and safety profile than its predecessor. In this article, we comprehensively reviewed and summarized the available preclinical and clinical trials pertaining to JAK inhibitors. HubMed – drug

 

Impact of diabetes on long term follow-up of elderly patients with chronic total occlusion post percutaneous coronary intervention.

J Geriatr Cardiol. 2013 Mar; 10(1): 16-20
Liu W, Wagatsuma K, Nii H, Toda M, Amano H, Uchida Y

The prognosis of elderly patients with chronic total occlusion (CTO) and diabetes mellitus (DM) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is not known.To investigate the effect of diabetes on long-term follow-up of CTO after PCI in elderly patients.A total of 153 elderly patients (age > 65 years old) with CTO lesions which were successfully treated with PCI were enrolled. Fifty one patients with diabetes and 102 without diabetes were compared for long-term outcomes (mean follow up: 36 ± 12 months). Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) which include death, myocardial infarction or target lesion revascularization (TLR) were considered as a combined endpoint.The combined endpoint occurred in 29.4% of diabetes patients, and 11.3% of the patients without diabetes (P < 0.05). The Cox proportional hazards model identified: drug eluting stent (DES) or bare metal stent (BMS) (HR: 0.13, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.03-0.62, P = 0.004), DM (HR: 6.69, 95% CI: 1.62-15.81, P = 0.01) and final minimal lumen diameter (MLD) (HR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.13-0.90, P = 0.03 ) as independent predictors of MACE, DM with renal impairment (HR: 6.64, 95% CI: 1.32-33.36, P = 0.02), HBA1C on admission (HR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.09-2.94, P = 0.02), as independent predictors of MACE at long term follow-up.The study demonstrates that DM is a predictive factor for MACE in elderly CTO patients treated with PCI, type of stent, final minimal lumen diameter and DM with renal impairment, and HBA1C level on admission are predictors of MACE. HubMed – drug